


Corona: City of Lights

by AevsFires



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Character Death, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, but for now, lots of tags and characters to be added, we're in for a wild ride folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AevsFires/pseuds/AevsFires
Summary: "You killed her," Varian whispered, voice sick with horror. "Rapunzel, you- youkilledour-""She's not our mother." Rapunzel stared at her hands. There was so, so muchred."She never was."Rapunzel and Varian struggle to adjust to their new reality, in a world they were taught to fear. But even as steps are made and new bonds are formed, it becomes clear that the City of Lights has a darkness, and it is seeking to consume them all.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 96





	Corona: City of Lights

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** slightly graphic depiction of a fatal injury and a corpse.   
> Now that that lovely bit is out of the way, welcome! Allow me to explain myself.   
> Shattered was stressing me out. I was rushing myself and wasn't having fun. This is my fun break while I sort out that mess. I'm just going to jump right into this, so if you'd like further context for the setting and plot before reading, I recommend checking out my tumblr @aevsfires.   
> Enjoy!

Mother was dead. 

The blood-slicked mirror shard slipped from Rapunzel’s grasp, joining crumpled and fading photos in the blossoming pool of crimson on the floor. The warm, sticky liquid seeped into the hem of her dress, clinging to her knees, her hands, her hair. 

Rapunzel stared. 

Mother’s cold, unseeing eyes stared back, still fixed with a final glare. Red spilled from the gaping hole in her neck. 

The wound was anything but clean. The sensation of plunging the shard into mother’s throat stayed with her, digging, pulling, ripping the soft skin until blood spurted from the wound like a fountain. Strings of torn flesh hung from the wound, resting on deathly pale skin, a sharp contrast to the dark red Rapunzel felt like she was drowning in. Those empty, deceptive eyes accusingly watched her, disappointed even in death. 

This was the woman she had called _mother._

And Rapunzel had killed her. 

As the ghastly image sunk in, the last vestiges of anger drained from Rapunzel, leaving behind nothing but blissful numbness. Her body still ached; the small cut on her shoulder oozed and her wrists stung with rope burn; but inside, there was a void. Her heart, fragile as it was, remained whole and protected by walls she didn’t know were there. 

Soft, shaking breaths cut through the ringing it Rapunzel’s ears. Something shifted in the corner of her eye, glass clinking with the movement. 

Glass. The mirror. 

Varian. 

Mother had _slammed Varian into the mirror-_

Rapunzel gasped. Her throat was dry. “Are you okay?” 

“You killed her,” Varian whispered, voice sick with horror. “Rapunzel, you- you _killed_ our-“ 

“She’s not our mother.” Rapunzel stared at her hands. There was so, so much red. “She never was.” 

More shifting. It took everything ounce of will she had left to tear her gaze away from the scene before her. Her knees stayed glued to the floor as she turned to Varian. He sat several feet away in front of the fallen mirror frame, having pushed himself off the glass shards littering the floor. He didn’t look hurt, just terribly shaken, fearful blue eyes spilling over with tears as they locked with hers.

“Are you okay?” Rapunzel repeated. 

“I- I think so,” Varian said hoarsely, eyes darting between her and and mother. He trembled like a leaf. “What are we- what are we going to do?” 

Rapunzel blinked. What were they going to do? Her gaze flickered over the paintings covering every inch of the walls, to the photos scattered across the floor. Proof that their lives had been a lie. Mother- no, _Gothel,_ had lied, telling them of the dangers of the outside world, feeding them fears and insecurities all while keeping them locked up for her own selfish reasons. 

This wasn’t a home, this was a prison. 

Rapunzel’s gaze landed on the painting hanging over the fireplace. It was one of her newest creations, and her favorite. She and Varian sat together under a canopy of stars, gazing upon the lights that appeared only on her birthday. 

Mother had said the world was a dark and cruel place, but surely a world that made something so beautiful couldn’t be as bad as she said. If mother had lied about the world, then maybe....maybe they could find their way out there. Safe or not, Rapunzel would rather be anywhere but here, a prisoner to a dead woman’s lies. 

Swallowing, Rapunzel turned back to her brother. “Pack a bag,” she said, her voice eerily calm. 

Varian sounded uncertain. “Rapunzel, I-“

“Only bring what you need.” She hated how she sounded. She hated how she _felt._ There was no grief, no fear, no overwhelming sense of regret from _killing her mother._

She felt _nothing._

It was a betrayal of the worst kind. How could she kneel here, in the blood of the woman who had raised her, and not feel any of that? To not feel at all? She didn’t have to hold back the tears Varian was no doubt fighting, because crying was impossible. They were free, _free,_ and despite the corpse beside her, all Rapunzel felt was relief. 

She hated herself for it. 

Across the room, Varian let out a broken sob. _“Why?”_

Why? Rapunzel was wondering that herself. Why had Gothel stolen them from the lives they should have led? Why had she tied them up and promised to make their lives hell? Why had she hurt Varian? Worst of all- why had Rapunzel not hesitated to kill her? 

Honesty would be the simplest answer. 

“I don’t know,” she confessed. The tired smile she gave didn’t reach her eyes. She opened her arms. “But everything’s going to be okay, I promi-“ 

She tried to lie. She really did. 

Varian didn’t let her. He rushed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. Rapunzel instinctively pulled him close to her chest, letting him break apart in the safety of her embrace. He quickly reached up to cling to her dress, burying his head in her shoulder as ragged sobs racked his small body. 

“I’m sorry.” Rapunzel’s expression crumpled, heart finally breaking in the knowledge that she was the only thing keeping Varian from completely falling apart, and she was the reason he was hurting in the first place. It was because of what she did, there was no doubt. She had killed their mother- their kidnapper, and he had been forced to watch. 

Apologies would never be enough. Rapunzel uttered them anyway. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I scared you. I’m sorry.” 

Varian clung to her harder, mumbling through his tears, “it- it’s not your fault,” he choked, “you were just- just trying to protect me.” 

“You still shouldn’t have had to see that.” Rapunzel ran her fingers through Varian’s hair, rubbing comforting circles on his back. Tears pricked her eyes. Not tears for Gothel, no, that part of her was still thankfully numb. She cried because her little brother was hurting, because everything they had ever known was a lie. 

It was a horrid nightmare, one Rapunzel wished they could wake up from. But that wouldn’t be any better. She didn’t want to go back to that, as much as it had cost them, Gothel had never been good to them. Not really. 

Rapunzel rocked Varian in her arms, soothing him as his muffled cries slowly subsided. They couldn’t stay. It wasn’t safe here anymore. But it wasn’t like they had anywhere to go. 

There was always the city Gothel spoke of. It couldn’t be far- Gothel had always made her trips in less than a day. Finding it might be harder, but Rapunzel suspected it was to the east, the direction the lights came from. 

It was a long shot, and a risky one, but they had to try. 

In her arms, Varian sniffled. Mind made up, Rapunzel gave him a gentle squeeze and pulled away, keeping her hands firmly on his shoulders. She searched his red rimmed eyes. “Are you sure you’re alright?” 

Varian nodded unconvincingly, curling a pale, quivering hand around her wrist. Rapunzel let it drop. She didn’t want to push him, not now. Guiding his wandering gaze away from Gothel’s body, back to her, she brushed a few stray tears from his cheek. “I’m going to figure this out,” she promised, pressing a featherlight kiss to his forehead. “Go pack. And clean yourself up,” she added, grimacing at the bloody handprints she had left over his shirt. 

After a minute, Varian nodded and released his desperate grip on her. They helped each other stand in silence, blood squelching as they pulled themselves free from the puddle. Rapunzel kept a hand on Varian, more to steady him than herself. With all this blood, she was surprised he hadn’t passed out. She herself felt queasy. It had to be shock. 

Rapunzel hugged herself as Varian disappeared into his bedroom, leaving her alone in the living room with their kidnapper’s corpse. She was freezing, a draft she hadn’t noticed before wandering in from the broken window. Her feet, hands, and hair were sticky with drying blood, especially her hair, dragging in the gory mess. 

Rapunzel carefully gathered it up, wincing as it snagged on a loose nail. It was long, over eight feet. Gothel had never let her cut it. She brought home container after container of bleach, serums, and conditioners to keep it blonde and healthy. Rapunzel had spent countless hours of her life on monthly split ends trims, washing, drying, and brushing, all to please _her._

_Wash your hair, Rapunzel....your roots are growing out, Rapunzel....dear, trim those ends...._ her hair was like a noose, cutting off her air, her freedom. 

Rapunzel moved before she had even decided. She almost slipped on the blood soaked wood in her mad rush to the kitchen. She snatched up a pair of scissors, darted back through the living room, down the hall, and into the bathroom, leaving bloody footprints in her wake. 

Her hip throbbed from where she crashed into the sink, but Rapunzel ignored it. She raked her fingers through her scalp, tugging her hair into one hand. Raising the scissors, Rapunzel looked into the mirror. 

Her reflection made her want to throw up. Hollow, haunted eyes stared blankly back at her. The skin on her wrists was red and chafed. Blood that wasn’t her own coated her hands and hair. 

Her long, blonde hair. 

This wasn’t her. This was who Gothel wanted her to be. This was a broken girl who had suffered years of abuse at the hands of a monster, letting herself be shaped into something she wasn’t. Her hair was nothing but a chain tethering her to an empty life. 

She wanted it _gone._

Gone, just like Gothel. Gothel, who had lied. Gothel, who Rapunzel had loved. Gothel, who she had killed to secure her and Varian’s freedom. 

Gothel, who only ever loved her hair. 

Rapunzel burst into tears. And as they fell, so did the chains around her heart. She could feel again. She was _free._

Scissors poised to slice through her bonds, Rapunzel faced her reflection. She was tired, yes, and hurting beyond comprehension. But when she looked in the mirror, all she saw was a bold, strong soul with vibrant green eyes and deep brown roots staring back. _This_ was the real her.

Rapunzel started cutting.

**Author's Note:**

> To be clear, Rapunzel simply had a delayed stress reaction (I took creative liberties). She's not crazy. Next chapter, some Varian POV and more angst. Think this is the worst I can do? I'm just getting started.   
> Please consider leaving a kudos or comment to tell me what you think. I love getting feedback! Stay tuned!


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